Friday, January 5
Cedar Falls, Iowa
2:00 P.M. CT
St. Cloud State
vs
Newberry
Photo by: Sean Arbaut, Minot State Sports Information
No. 6 Huskies Set to Defend NWCA National Duals Title in Cedar Falls
1/4/2024 5:00:00 PM | Wrestling
The Huskies open the tournament as the fifth seed, seek eighth National Duals title
ST. CLOUD, Minn. – No. 6 St. Cloud State Wrestling heads to Cedar Falls, Iowa to compete in the NWCA/USMC National Duals Division-II Championship, slated for Jan. 5-6 at the UNI-Dome on the campus of Northern Iowa. The fifth-seeded Huskies will open the 16-team bracket against (RV) Newberry on Friday, Jan. 5 at 2:00 p.m. CT on mat 11.
The two-day multi-division event will welcome 93 teams to Cedar Falls, as 62 men's college teams from Division-II, Division-III, NAIA and NCWA and 31 women's college teams from NCAA and NAIA are set to compete.
FOLLOW THE HUSKIES
The dual will be streamed on FloWrestling (subscription required) with brackets and results available through TrackWrestling.
The full bracket for Division-II is available on the NWCA website.
NWCA DIVISION-II BRACKET
The top eight seeds in the NCAA Division-II bracket and first round matchup (NWCA ranking)
DEFENDING THE TITLE
The Huskies enter the tournament winners of five of the last six Division-II National Duals Championships and leads all Division II teams with seven titles overall. SCSU has captured National Duals titles in 2012, 2013, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2013. Last season, the Huskies defeated No. 18 Mercyhurst (32-9), No. 9 Upper Iowa (28-7), No. 11 Mary (26-6) and No. 1 Central Oklahoma (19-16) to capture its seventh title in Louisville, Ky.
NWCA RANKINGS
The National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) release its third Division-II Men's Coaches Poll on Dec. 22, with the Huskies checking in at No. 6 with 49 points. Central Oklahoma and West Liberty shared the No. 1 spot with 69 points each, while Lander checked in at No. 3 (59 points), with UW-Parkside (51 points) and Lake Erie (50 points) at No. 4 and 5, respectively. Below is a look at the Huskies including in the individual rankings (top-12 for each weight class).
SCSU COOLS DOWN THE DRAGONS
St. Cloud State Wrestling (4-0, 2-0 NSIC) dominated Minnesota State Moorhead (1-1, 0-1), 48-0 in its home-opening dual of the 2023-24 season on Dec. 9 at Halenbeck Hall. The Huskies swept all 10 matches and earned bonus points in nine victories, including one by fall and seven by technical fall. The 48-0 win was the largest margin of victory for the Huskies over the Dragons and the most points scored in a dual since the Huskies beat Southwest Minnesota State by the same score on Feb. 16, 2023.
HUSKIES DISMANTLE MINOT STATE TO OPEN NSIC COMPETITION
Four bonus victories including a fall by Bryce FitzPatrick lifted St. Cloud State its first NSIC victory of the season as they topped host Minot State 29-9 at the MSU Dome on Dec. 1. In addition to FitzPatrick's fall at 184 pounds, No. 12 Alyeus Craig and top-ranked Nick Novak earned technical falls, while fourth-ranked Dominic Murphy picked up a major decision at 197 pounds to pace coach Steve Costanzo's squad.
NOVAK WRESTLES AT NWCA ALL-STAR CLASSIC
St. Cloud State junior 157-pounder Nick Novak (New Prague, Minn.) was selected to compete in the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) All-Star Classic presented by Cliff Keen on Nov. 21. Novak, the reigning NCAA Division-II National Champion at 157 pounds wrestled returning NCAA Division-III National Champion Nolan Hertel of UW-LaCrosse, where Hertel managed a 3-1 win in TB-2 in the exhibition match.
Novak was the first St. Cloud State wrestler to ever compete in the prestigious event, which began in 1967 and was a staple of the college season until 2017. After a four-year hiatus, the All-Star Classic made its return in 2022 in Austin, Texas due, in large part, to the support of the National Wrestling Coaches Association. This year's meet will take place at Rec Hall on the campus of Penn State.
DOMINANT START TO DUAL SCHEDULE
The Huskies opened its 2023-23 dual season with a pair of dominant wins on Nov. 16 at the Drury Duals in Springfield, Mo., winning 37-11 over (RV) Central Missouri and 46-5 over Drury. The Huskies went a combined 16-4 in the two duals with 15 bonus point victories, including eight falls, four technical falls and three major decisions.
For all the latest on St. Cloud State Wrestling, stay tuned to SCSUHuskies.com and follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
The two-day multi-division event will welcome 93 teams to Cedar Falls, as 62 men's college teams from Division-II, Division-III, NAIA and NCWA and 31 women's college teams from NCAA and NAIA are set to compete.
FOLLOW THE HUSKIES
The dual will be streamed on FloWrestling (subscription required) with brackets and results available through TrackWrestling.
The full bracket for Division-II is available on the NWCA website.
NWCA DIVISION-II BRACKET
The top eight seeds in the NCAA Division-II bracket and first round matchup (NWCA ranking)
- Central Oklahoma (t-No. 1) vs. Upper Iowa (No. 12)
- West Liberty (t-No. 1) vs. Northern Iowa (No. 18)
- Lander (No. 3) vs. Tiffin (No. 20)
- Lake Erie (No. 5) vs. Mary (No. 15)
- St. Cloud State (No. 6) vs. Newberry (RV)
- Nebraska-Kearney (No. 7) vs. Glenville State (No. 25)
- Indianapolis (No. 8) vs. Augustana (No. 17)
- McKendree (No. 10) vs. Ashland (No. 20)
DEFENDING THE TITLE
The Huskies enter the tournament winners of five of the last six Division-II National Duals Championships and leads all Division II teams with seven titles overall. SCSU has captured National Duals titles in 2012, 2013, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2013. Last season, the Huskies defeated No. 18 Mercyhurst (32-9), No. 9 Upper Iowa (28-7), No. 11 Mary (26-6) and No. 1 Central Oklahoma (19-16) to capture its seventh title in Louisville, Ky.
NWCA RANKINGS
The National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) release its third Division-II Men's Coaches Poll on Dec. 22, with the Huskies checking in at No. 6 with 49 points. Central Oklahoma and West Liberty shared the No. 1 spot with 69 points each, while Lander checked in at No. 3 (59 points), with UW-Parkside (51 points) and Lake Erie (50 points) at No. 4 and 5, respectively. Below is a look at the Huskies including in the individual rankings (top-12 for each weight class).
- No. 1 – Nick Novak (157 pounds)
- No. 3 – Dominic Murphy (197 pounds)
- No. 7 – Anthony Herrera (165 pounds)
- No. 8 – Colby Njos (149 pounds)
- No. 11 – Bryce FitzPatrick (184 pounds)
- No. 12 – Alyeus Craig (141 pounds)
SCSU COOLS DOWN THE DRAGONS
St. Cloud State Wrestling (4-0, 2-0 NSIC) dominated Minnesota State Moorhead (1-1, 0-1), 48-0 in its home-opening dual of the 2023-24 season on Dec. 9 at Halenbeck Hall. The Huskies swept all 10 matches and earned bonus points in nine victories, including one by fall and seven by technical fall. The 48-0 win was the largest margin of victory for the Huskies over the Dragons and the most points scored in a dual since the Huskies beat Southwest Minnesota State by the same score on Feb. 16, 2023.
HUSKIES DISMANTLE MINOT STATE TO OPEN NSIC COMPETITION
Four bonus victories including a fall by Bryce FitzPatrick lifted St. Cloud State its first NSIC victory of the season as they topped host Minot State 29-9 at the MSU Dome on Dec. 1. In addition to FitzPatrick's fall at 184 pounds, No. 12 Alyeus Craig and top-ranked Nick Novak earned technical falls, while fourth-ranked Dominic Murphy picked up a major decision at 197 pounds to pace coach Steve Costanzo's squad.
NOVAK WRESTLES AT NWCA ALL-STAR CLASSIC
St. Cloud State junior 157-pounder Nick Novak (New Prague, Minn.) was selected to compete in the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) All-Star Classic presented by Cliff Keen on Nov. 21. Novak, the reigning NCAA Division-II National Champion at 157 pounds wrestled returning NCAA Division-III National Champion Nolan Hertel of UW-LaCrosse, where Hertel managed a 3-1 win in TB-2 in the exhibition match.
Novak was the first St. Cloud State wrestler to ever compete in the prestigious event, which began in 1967 and was a staple of the college season until 2017. After a four-year hiatus, the All-Star Classic made its return in 2022 in Austin, Texas due, in large part, to the support of the National Wrestling Coaches Association. This year's meet will take place at Rec Hall on the campus of Penn State.
DOMINANT START TO DUAL SCHEDULE
The Huskies opened its 2023-23 dual season with a pair of dominant wins on Nov. 16 at the Drury Duals in Springfield, Mo., winning 37-11 over (RV) Central Missouri and 46-5 over Drury. The Huskies went a combined 16-4 in the two duals with 15 bonus point victories, including eight falls, four technical falls and three major decisions.
For all the latest on St. Cloud State Wrestling, stay tuned to SCSUHuskies.com and follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Players Mentioned
141
/ Wrestling
184
/ Wrestling
165
/ Wrestling
197
/ Wrestling
149
/ Wrestling
157
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